Most of the best album art of June 2013 has one thing in common: loads of color.
The limited-edition vinyl release of David Yow’s first solo effort is literally a concrete slab.
Last month ALARM presented its 50 favorite albums of 2012, an eclectic, rock-heavy selection of discs that were in steady rotation in our downtown-Chicago premises. Now, to give some love to tunes that were left out, we have our 50 (+5) favorite songs of last year — singles, B-sides, EP standouts, soundtrack cuts, and more.
Subscription-style releases have boomed lately, with the popularity of websites like Kickstarter and Quarterly Co. acting as convenient tools. In 2013, Joyful Noise Recordings joins the action with a yearlong slate of flexi-disc releases from kick-ass bands.
Another year, another torrential downpour of albums across our desks. As always, we encountered way too much amazing music, from Meshuggah to The Mars Volta, Converge, Killer Mike, P.O.S, and many more.
Solos: Beast of Both Worlds (Joyful Noise, 9/11/12)
“Carpe Diem”
It may seem strange that the members of Hella have gotten poppier and poppier since the height of their impenetrability from 2005 to 2007. Long-time fans, though, will recognize a penchant for melody amid complexity that dates back to its full-length debut in 2002.
Solos is a new project from Hella guitarist and cofounder Spencer Seim and avant-folk artist / temporary Hella singer Aaron Ross. Following the overt melodies of Seim’s synth-core project sBACH, Solos is a jaunt into slightly more avant-pop territory, combining Led Zeppelin-ish acoustic rock with psych-pop and Seim’s pounding, distinctive beats.
